Date: Tue, 2 Sep 1997 16:39:02 -0700 (PDT)
Message-Id: <199709022339.QAA16772@isaac.exploratorium.edu>
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
From: Richard Brooks <richardb@exploratorium.edu>
Subject: Scent of Stainless
Neil (et al.),
Thank you for the info tidbit--my question to you, then: when you
have scrubbed stainless steel [with whatever scrubber] in the past, did it
ever smell like rotten eggs to YOU? In my admittedly limited experience
with stainless, I've never encountered any scent from it that I would have
described as rotten-egg-like. Is household stainless [in knives, mixing
bowls, countertops, etc.] likely to contain manganese? And, if so, at what
concentration would an acid start reacting with it? Would, say, straight
lemon or tomato juice be sufficient to produce a detectable scent?
And, as to the matter of zinc--I missed the connection. Are there
stainless steels that also contain zinc?
Thank you for your time and attention,
The Coffee Dainty
At 12:03 AM 9/2/97 -0700, you wrote:
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>Date: 1 Sep 1997 20:05:54 U
>From: NFetter@aol.com
>Subject: Re: Question Leftover
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>Some srainless steels contain manganese and manganese contains traces of
>manganese sulfide (MnS). Any acid reacts with MnS to produce hydrogen sulfide
>(H2S). Maybe that is what you smell (rotten eggs).
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>Fetter
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>Date: 1 Sep 1997 20:10:39 U
>From: NFetter@aol.com
>Subject: Re: scent of steel
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>Zinc contains some arsenic. When zinc is reacted with any acid some
>foul-smelling arsenic hydride (AsH3) is released. Your skin acid can release
>arsenic htdride in very small amounts. Brass contains zinc and copper.
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> Neil
>Fetter
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Richard Brooks, Library Troll
The Exploratorium
3601 Lyon Street
San Francisco, CA 94123
(415) 353-0493
(415) 561-0370 fax
<richardb@exploratorium.edu>